Summary: Not everyone who was forcibly Rayshifted to the transformed Tokugawa Ooku succumbed immediately. Robin Hood was one of a few who had yet to fully be integrated into such a corrupted place, thanks to the many Holy Grails embedded into his Spirit Origin out of the goodness of Vy's heart. So when Vy, his Master, inevitably comes to save him, he finds himself worried about her well being in spite of the shocking offering being placed in front of him. The others in her party still staring at him like he's going to make a move don't help much.

Note: All I can say is late-night talks with Pan, Ayako's creator, encourages what they call "brain-rot." Or, in this case, simping for a Servant. So, here we are, where this chapter will be the most explicit romance-focused thing I'll ever write in Passing Days. Mainly since I started writing this to challenge the whole concept of Master-Servant relationships being a thing in only romance territory, and now here we are. I'm writing some actual romance where a Servant got away from Vy's canonical Eroge Harem Protagonist Rank D/E skill that enables Unlimited Fluff Works in the form of platonic things. WOW, ME. (Can I go faceplant into a pillow somewhere to scream?)

Then again, in this AU where Vy and Ayako are together as partner Masters in Chaldea, I could see this happening during the Tokugawa Restoration Ooku event. But that's just me. (I did take all my Grailed Servants with me on quests in the event with the headcanon that they weren't as affected by Kama's forced Rayshift, soooooo…)

The song for this extra chapter is Lucas King's original piano composition on YouTube titled Belong. I found it fitting, even when I was dying from internal embarrassment because how the hell did my ace brain come up with this romantic trash? Oh, right, I have a romantic boyfriend. A very dedicated one at that. And he said he didn't mind my writing this so long as this version of Vy didn't have a version of him to unintentionally cheat on! So. Consent is everything, and.

AHEM. CW for gore, implied triggers, and lots of kissing. If you are romance-averse, probably best to skip this chapter in general.

Otherwise, please enjoy.

Extra Day 4: Belonging (& Kissing)

Back in Salem, Robin had mentioned he wouldn't have minded playing as a tree in one of Chaldea Company's many plays they had to perform as part of their "troupe" act. It was certainly better than wearing the getup of a long-passed King named Solomon.

Now, in this weird place where the floors were all very tacky colors and the maidservants were plain marionettes, he would've taken becoming a tree rather than being forced into a green skeleton form. Ew. No taste. Even the costume Vy and Ayako had him wear to play as King Solomon seemed better in hindsight compared to this sudden change.

"Why are you not succumbing like the rest?" The white-haired maiden in front of him reminded him of that one Koyanskaya bitch with the smile on her face, red eyes flashing with the same evil intent that created this area. "My love should be enough to break down all you Chaldean Servants into the materials I need for this Ooku, so why are you—"

Robin Hood did his best to roll his eyes, tempted to cross his arms if not for bone already being exposed hideously against his will. "B-Believe me," he said in his strongest voice, "I know love a lot better than you, fake goddess."

The jeer, as well as the glow of Holy Grails still present inside his Spirit Origin, was enough to make Kama glare daggers at him before turning on one of her golden heels. "Well," she said haughtily, "I hope that love fizzles out along with the rest of your life, petty bowman. The love of a goddess encompasses everything compared to that little 'love' you seem to know."

And before Robin Hood could say anything else, that "goddess of love" (more like a really awkward maiden who needed to get her priorities straight) disappeared in a rush of sparkles.

"…That could've gone better," Robin Hood sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back against his cage. No matter where he looked, that skeleton part that Kama had attached to him continued to grow, even with the Holy Grails around to keep the corruption at bay. If this kept going…

"Wonder what the little sparrow would do if she finds me… I'd probably be more bone than hero, huh?"

Robin Hood blinked slowly, taking in the black spots dotting the corners of his vision before feeling a wry smile come up on his face. Bones were being exposed at his shoulders now, yet all he could think about was pink. The ribbon Kama was wearing — the pink color would've looked great on Vy's brown hair.

"What am I doing, thinking about home? Hopefully the Count and Ayako made it out okay…"

He closed his eyes for what he suspected to be the last time in his current manifestation. This is where I'm going to die this time, huh? Not in a war, just in a fizzle of power because someone else wanted to send a message. I'm sorry, everyone. Maybe in another life, I would've been braver. Stronger.

Behind his darkening vision, he could still imagine the warm smile of his Master.

"—obin!"

Little sparrow, I—

"—obin!"

Huh?

Something was rattling the metal bars in front of him.

"Robin!" A high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Big Robin! Robin Hood!"

There's no way… she couldn't have made it here this fast—

The next thing Robin Hood knew, something heavy collided with the metal bars of his cage, creating a large echoing CRASH noise that rang through his ears before someone was grabbing his now skeletal hands. "Robin!"

Robin Hood didn't want to believe it, but he opened his eyes.

No way. She… she actually made it.

Even through the slowly creeping darkness of his vision, Robin Hood could still make out the teary visage of his little sparrow. Brown hair in a ponytail, new school uniform Mystic Code (what the hell, he couldn't remember when Vy got that one, was that little Da Vinci's fault?!), lotus-shaped Command Spells — it was all there. Hell, there was no denying those bright brown eyes staring just at him past her glasses as Vy's bottom lip — so soft and small and pink — trembled. "Robin?" She squeezed his hands with all of her strength, enough for him to feel those exposed bones start to creak as she leaned in to touch foreheads with him. Something warm was flooding his veins now with Vy's touch. Familiarity. Safety. Love. "Oh god, what did Kama do to you?"

The faint sensation of wet droplets on his leggings were enough to clue Robin in that yes, Vy was really here, sitting on her knees in front of him. And she was crying. Oh, goddammit. "M-Master…" he croaked, doing his best to muster a smile. Seriously, what good could he be as a Servant if he made his Master cry? No one back at Novum Chaldea would ever let him hear the end of that conversation. "Sorry I'm not in the best of appearances right now. If we were in a better place, I'd wipe those tears away."

"D-Don't just play it off like it's nothing, we have to do something about — about this! You're hurt!" Vy's normally calm expression had already broken to show sheer panic at the bones covering parts of Robin's normal limbs, and in any other situation, he'd probably blush at the attention. Right now, though—

"Master, I—"

"Shushie! No playing it off! Forceful bone exposure sucks and besides, screw Kama! I like you the way you are, Big Robin, not as a giant green skeleton!" Vy responded shrilly, glancing between the advancing exposed green bone (Still an "Ew") and Robin's face before throwing her head back and yelling, "Par-san, where's the hanafuda cards?! We need them right now! And Achi, keep the maids off us with Art-san, please!"

Par-san — wait, Parvati? I wasn't the only one who survived this long in this dump? And, wait. Achi? Art-san? Rider and Saber survived too?

Robin Hood could vaguely make out someone running forward in the background with all the hubbub, and thus the last thing he expected was for there to be light. So much blinding light.

"Ow," he deadpanned mid-squint.

Still, the light was doing something. Even with his vision kinda obliterated, he could feel something like skin at his elbows again, and Vy was tugging at his chains. As if noticing the force, the bindings then seemingly crumbled to dust, leaving Vy to hold his hands again. "R-Robin, can you get up? Please? Please?" Desperation tugged at his little sparrow's voice. "Oh no, oh god, don't tell me it didn't—"

Someone definitely sighed. Robin Hood was thinking it might've been him. "…If you tug at me so hard, I think you'll pull something, little sparrow." Still, Robin could feel himself exhale again as muscles started popping themselves back into place. With that sensation in his mind, the light started to fade, leaving Vy's face as the only thing Robin Hood could stare at in its wake. "But you did do something."

Robin Hood couldn't feel that white-haired maiden's presence on him anymore.

In response, Vy's brown eyes welled up with more tears as her glasses started getting stained with the wet droplets. "Oh, you," she said shakily, a wobbly smile starting to form on her face with the statement. "Archer, you dork, where have you been?"

Robin Hood didn't get a chance to respond before Vy was letting him go and then throwing her arms around his neck, squishing herself against him in a tight hug, and — oh shit. Something soft and definitely pillow-like was pressing up against his chest. It didn't help that with his vision coming back to Earth, he could suddenly make out a rather large group of Servants over his little sparrow's shoulder. Ayako (as the only other Chaldean Master in the area) most certainly didn't seem like she wanted to be there if her pointed nose up towards the ceiling was any indication, and if Achilles and Arturia's matching poker faces were any additional sign, they were just as unamused. The Count of Monte Cristo's raised eyebrow in his direction did not help matters. Nor did the inclusion of that one shitty nun from SERAPH, observing both him and Vy with an obvious blush on her face. Ew.

What the fuck, when did Kiara Sessyoin get to Vy and Ayako—

Still, once his little sparrow was whispering a warm, "I missed you," into his ear, he knew he could play it off and ignore the glares for a little while. Parvati being one of the few (aside from Yagyu Munenori, who chose to politely look away) who weren't staring holes into his head helped his situation a bit.

Robin Hood raised one hand to turn it over in the lighting of the Ooku room that once made up his prison, taking note of all the tendons and muscles that came with his usual manifestation before letting it fall and pat Vy's back.

"I missed you too, little sparrow," he whispered back. "Thanks for coming."

Vy made a soft whimper-kind of noise, pulling away from the hug to press her forehead to his again. Joy sang its odes through their mental connection, conveying Vy's thoughts far more than the smile naturally painted on her face as she opened her eyes to look at him. "We found you," she said, her bottom lip still trembling. "I-I wanna hug you more, big Robin, but, um…"

Robin Hood glanced at himself before shrugging weakly. Sure, it was nice seeing his feet as feet again, but being partially transparent probably didn't help much. "Nearly getting turned into a monster kinda takes the energy out of me, little sparrow," he supplied instead. "And as much as I appreciate it, your saving me did come a bit too close to the line for comfort."

"The summary is appreciated, Archer," Arturia said loudly over Vy's head, a metal boot tapping the tatami floors of the room enough for Robin to hear the disapproval, "but I don't think it helps our Master's emotional state."

"I-I'm fine, Art-san!" Vy shrieked instead.

Nearby, Ayako was definitely shaking her head, jostling the small ponytail she had in her Royal Brand suit. The Count of Monte Cristo, in contrast, seemed amused as he raised one cape-adorned hand to press his fingers against Ayako's shoulder in a warm squeeze, and nearby, Parvati and Kiara — well, Robin didn't want to think about what they were thinking. Even if Parvati was safer, per say.

He had enough of goddesses of love for an eternity. Little sparrows seemed to be much better in comparison.

Still, Vy was staring at him with a growing look of worry on her face, and with Achilles and Arturia looming over her shoulders almost like vengeful gods, Robin Hood opened his mouth carefully. "The Holy Grails helped me from turning completely," he said after a moment, shrugging his shoulders while exposing the lack of the Yew Bow on his right forearm. "Still, I'm not exactly going to be fighting any time soon."

Achilles seemed to warm up if his loosening grip on his spear was any indication, and soon enough, he let it dissipate in favor of bopping one fist against his open palm in realization. "Mana drain?" he offered.

"You two should've felt that," Robin Hood agreed, raising one hand towards Achilles. Achilles, the goddamn big Hero he was, recognized the gesture enough to close his free hand into a fist and bump it with Robin's. Nearby, Arturia nodded, an understanding look on her face. "Considering we're all here, though, maybe the amount of corruption depends on Magic Resistance."

Vy's pallor grew increasingly pale. Magic Resistance Rank D, she mouthed before reorienting herself with a vicious shake of her head. "Y-You're not gonna fade any time soon, are you, big Robin?!"

Aw, crap. "Not immediately," Robin Hood salvaged in front of Arturia's still piercing green eyes. "I have Rank A in Independent Action, remember, little sparrow?"

Vy's shoulders still sagged enough for Achilles to retract his hand from the earlier fist bump and instead drop it on her head in a headpat. Well, the best one he could give when still in full armor, mind.

"Hm," an electronic voice called out, and Robin Hood blinked as a hologram of Sion came into view. "So all you need is mana, right? That's the problem?"

Robin was getting a bad feeling about this. "…Yes?" he said slowly. He could vaguely make out Ayako suddenly turning to the group with a growing look of dread on her face, her arms crossed in a "X" shape in front of her chest as she furiously shook her head. Ayako's tie nearly falling out of her suit jacket merely solidified the visible panic in her figure.

"Wait, Sion-san, I don't think Senpai—" Mash's image (which showed up in that moment) tried to say.

Sion snapped her fingers over Vy's head, interrupting Mash and Ayako with a triumphant voice of, "Then Vy needs to give you a mana transfer!"

Ayako wordlessly gaped. It didn't help in how the temperature of the room dropped to near subzero levels as Parvati gripped her spear tighter. All Servants in the room were freezing too, and Robin Hood couldn't blame them.

Vy's brown eyes, before warm and happy, were now widening to the size of saucers, light starting to flicker in and out of the irises. "Mana… transfer?" she echoed weakly.

"Yes! Lemme see—" There was some static, as if Sion decided to flip through a bunch of pages of a manual or something over the comms before more feedback came in. Amazingly, Sion didn't seem to even notice the chilling room as she said, "Atlas records say any kind of fluids work, so if we get Vy a knife to draw blood—"

"NO!" Ayako and Mash yelled out in unison.

"I-I am not letting my—" Robin Hood corrected himself hastily, "—the little sparrow cut herself for me, Sion! What the fuck?!"

"Huh?" Sion blinked owlishly enough for everyone to see her confusion through the hologram. It was almost like she expected a better reaction. "I mean, that's the safer option! There could be intercourse—"

Arturia choked as Vy stiffened.

Amazingly, Kiara raised her hand and added in a quiet voice, "The Buddhist precept that controls this fifth floor of the Ooku is the concept of not laying with someone until they are married, Sion-san. As a result, I don't think that form of mana transfer would work here, considering we would be letting one of our Masters play into Kama's hands."

Huh. To think the shitty nun would come in for the save. If not for the situation at hand, Robin Hood would've thought the world was coming to another end.

Still, Vy shivered, and in that moment, Robin knew both Achilles and Arturia noticed at the same time as him how Vy was starting to shrink into herself. "N-Not that…" she whispered under her breath. Fear was already dripping into their mental connection. Shit.

"Then if intercourse is off the table, what's left? Command Spells are a bit precious here," Sion said with a huff, adjusting her glasses. "And mana transfer is the most effective method in terms of energy retention… All it takes is just fluid exchange, really!"

Dantes, Parvati, and Mash's unamused faces quickly made Sion shrink back a bit through her hologram.

Vy's bottom lip was trembling again, and Robin Hood gently raised one hand towards her with the No Face May King in his grasp. It was telling to see her flinch as he came close, her eyes widening once it became obvious he was only touching her to wipe away the tears still lingering in her eyes. "Little sparrow," he started softly, "don't get swept up in the ghosts you can't see. Just focus on what's in front of you, okay?"

His fading feet be damned, the last thing he wanted was to see his little sparrow curled up and scared because of something in the past he still couldn't stop the ramifications of.

Vy breathed in shakily, nodding. "T-Trying," she stammered weakly, her arms hugging herself in a telltale sign of being bothered. "B-But Robin—"

You're hurt, I can't leave you—

Robin Hood internally winced.

At that point, Ayako took a step forward and, in spite of the faint blush on her face, bit out, "I could give Archer blood if Vy can't."

Vy startled as Dantes nearby was the next one to choke. Sion, oblivious, returned to form with a happy, "That would work! Any kind of fluid is fine, so as long as it's a Master—"

"NO!" Vy was the one to yell out this time, making Ayako take a few steps back from the surprise. "A-Aya-san, you and Count have been fighting for our group since we got here! How could I ask you to draw your blood when we need your power just as much as everyone else's?!"

"But, Vy," Ayako was fumbling now, her arms crossed over her chest from the shock that came from Vy yelling, "you're not exactly looking all that good about the idea—"

"I'd rather it be me and not you doing the transfer at this point if it's necessary!" Vy interrupted shrilly, silencing whatever protest Ayako had on her mind. "I get you're looking out for me, but you're my friend, Aya-san! I can't ask you to draw your blood for me! It's just not done! You're more than a blood bank to me, you are Aya-san!"

Ayako exhaled shakily. "…Oh," she said, just as Dantes had flickered over to Ayako's side with those shadows of his to rest a hand on Ayako's shoulder. "Er. Thanks? I mean," Ayako coughed into her fist, "that is sweet of you, Vy, but it doesn't exactly change how Archer's still flickering in and out of reality?"

Vy took that moment to glance at Robin and Robin sheepishly grinned. His hands were already losing a bit of feeling. "…Oh," Vy echoed.

"'Oh' is right, Vy," Ayako agreed with a quirked eyebrow.

"Little flower, there is only so much of your selflessness I think we all can handle right now," Dantes put in with a small huff of his nose, squeezing Ayako's shoulder almost possessively. "As much as I appreciate you looking out for my Accomplice."

Silence reigned.

Then, Achilles crossed his arms behind his head, tapping one of his armored shoes against the tatami floor. "One of us Servants could give some mana?"

"What am I, chopped liver? Shouldn't I get a say in this since I'm the one who's mana-deficient?" Robin Hood snapped.

"Oh, oh, I could do it!" Kiara spoke up again, this time with a happy grin and a blush on her face while ignoring Robin's previous quip. "It would be so nice to—"

"HELL NO!" Robin Hood, Arturia, and Achilles all screamed in unison. Then they all looked at each other because what the heck. Dantes just put a hand to his face.

"Um, y'all?" Sion spoke up again, this time sounding a bit meek. Had Mash done something on her end over there? "Time's ticking."

Vy inhaled a wobbly breath, slowly getting to her feet before offering a hand to Robin. "Th-There's another way for mana transfer to be done aside from s-s-sex and blood," she said, squinting her eyes shut in spite of the lingering tears and her paling facial pallor. "I-I think Kuro mentioned it. We could do that." She paused, trailing off before giving Arturia and Ayako a helpless look and a smaller, "Maybe?"

The bad feeling in Robin's gut was quickly growing to a large yawn in his stomach as he slowly got up onto his still fading feet with Vy's help. "What's 'that' you're talking about, little sparrow?"

"K-Kissing," Vy said in a hurry. "I-Ifyou'reokaywiththat!"

"…Run that by me again?" Robin Hood said. "Slowly."

"I-I could kiss you!" Vy reiterated with a higher-pitched voice. "I-It's better than me or someone else giving blood or us risking Kama playing with us again with sex tactics!"

Silence reigned again. Someone in the background definitely tripped. Robin could've sworn it was the still silent Scheherazade or Mata Hari. Or it could've been those large dolls Kama and that Tsuna guy called "maids." Either or.

"I mean…." Sion said thoughtfully to break the ice, "Saliva is a fluid. And it's relatively safe."

"Sion-san, that does NOT help!" Mash said immediately with growing horror.

Ayako, meanwhile, was starting to blush just as Vy ducked her head and squeezed Robin's hand tighter. "…Vy," Ayako started slowly, her voice remarkably calm and patient in spite of the color on her cheeks, "you know you're insinuating French kissing, right?"

"I-I KNOW WHAT I SAID!"

"Why is that action named that way?" Arturia filled in as Achilles started resembling a stone statue. Dantes, who decided to stay put in his place near Ayako and the other Servants, gave a very pointed shrug of his shoulders once Arturia looked his way.

Robin Hood, meanwhile, knew he was blushing. Goddammit. "Little sparrow, that's—"

"Yes, yes, I know kissing can be constituted as sexual harassment without consent, believe me, I STUDIED IT!" Vy continued in the same panicked high-pitched voice. "BUT I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE!"

Robin swallowed thickly. That's kinda missing the point I was trying to get at, little sparrow…

Parvati, now in a pink sakura-themed kimono (what the hell, when did that happen), proceeded to walk up to the group with a soft clearing of her throat. "Lady Vy," she said formally, "before you excite yourself anymore, can I ask you this?"

Vy glanced up at Robin with a teary and indecisive look before turning to the kimono-dressed Parvati with a squeakier, "G-Go ahead, Tsubone-san?"

Tsubone? Huh?

"Is this 'mana transfer' concept necessary for us to move forward in this Ooku?" The not-Parvati asked with a calm demeanor. Over her shoulder, Robin could see Ayako shaking her head vigorously, contrasting Kiara nodding with the same amount of energy, a thumbs-up pointed towards him. What the fuck.

"Um." Vy squeezed Robin's hand a bit tighter, red climbing up her neck to cover her cheeks. Then, she said in a smaller voice, "Maybe? As long as Robin's okay with it..."

Achilles tripped over himself before proceeding to stand with Arturia again, trying not to look like the conversation was affecting him. Robin was starting to wish he could be a tree again.

"Tsubone" proceeded to give Vy a searching look, glancing up at Robin for a moment — enough time to make him want to sweat — before saying, "Lady Vy, forgive my saying this, but as your informal wet nurse, you do not look to be in the right state of mind. If anything, you appear to be panicked and upset." She raised one hand towards Vy, and before Robin Hood could react, "Tsubone" pressed her palm against Vy's head, patting it softly. "Are you really sure?"

With that question in the air, it felt like everyone in the room started waiting with baited breath once Vy ducked her head and squeezed Robin's hand again. "…99% sure," she said finally after a moment, shaking her head. "Robin's important to me, Tsubone-san. So, I-I can't exactly—"

"Tsubone" exhaled softly, and with a sudden whoosh of wind, Parvati was back and wearing her Servant armor again, a warm smile on her face. "You don't want to leave him just like how you can't leave any of us?"

Vy nodded, visibly fidgeting. Robin felt his heart skip a beat.

I don't want to lose Big Robin, rang through his mind like a loud alarm. I love him.

Well, shit. He couldn't be a tree now even if he wanted to.

Parvati's smile widened. "Then let's find you both a safe room. Tsubone said she understands this enough without the magecraft angle. So, if this is going to happen, it has to be in a safe place. The last thing we all want is for Kama to interfere."

Considering how Robin was about to be turned into a green skeleton doll earlier, he could do nothing but agree.

In spite of everything, Robin already knew that Vy was scared. It was obvious with her facial expression alone, not to mention how she had hugged Ayako and Parvati really hard before going along with him. Ayako in particular nearly blew a vein on her face from how tight the gesture was, muttering, "Uncle, uncle," at one point. If not for the severity of the situation, Robin would've laughed.

It didn't help that when the other Servants in their party decided on their roles (Parvati and Dantes watching Kiara for any bullshit; Arturia, Achilles, Mata Hari, Munenori, and Scheherazade watching for any enemies outside while guarding Ayako), they decided to go about pushing Robin and Vy together into the one safe room they found in the mess that was the new Ooku before Robin could say anything. Thus, all Vy had when approaching the situation at hand was her Command Spells and the No Face May King draped over her head to help with privacy and security. Vy did mention once that his cloak was a good security blanket. Still, at one point, Robin Hood could've sworn Sion had decided to do something, with the room glowing and smelling faintly like honey once they entered. It was an awkward smell to take in.

Robin still made sure to close the sliding doors behind him with enough force so Vy could register the noise, approaching her gently. "Little sparrow."

Even in the Mystic Code provided from the Far Side of the Moon, Vy looked far more like a shy schoolgirl than a Master, shaking like a leaf through his cloak. She visibly tensed once he rested a hand on top of her head, merely peeking up at him through the hood of his Noble Phantasm, blush coloring most of the area on her cheeks. "R-Robin?"

Robin withheld the urge to sigh, patting her head in his usual manner. "Little sparrow, if you don't want to do this, you can say so. You don't have to force yourself." His fading figure be damned, whoever made his little sparrow flinch in the face of any touch beyond her hugs and care deserved to die. "I'll be fine with anything you choose to do."

It was quickly becoming obvious by Vy's shivering, though, that he said the wrong thing, as tears welled up in her eyes again. "B-But you're still hurt, Robin," she said, her voice cracking. "I-I can't just leave you."

"That doesn't mean confronting a fear that you don't look like you're ready to face yet, little sparrow," Robin continued, ignoring his flickering feet in favor of walking closer and pulling Vy in by the back of her head for a hug. He made sure to undo her hair tie so that her long brown hair could flow free, just for more headpats. "Even if it's for me."

What's the point of being a hero when even I scare you?

In spite of his words, Vy continued to stay stubborn, shaking her head and clinging to him via a hand on the front of his tunic. "I-I still want to try, big Robin," she murmured into his shoulder, her forehead weakly bumping his figure with the gesture. "Th-The last thing I want is for you to disappear when I could've done something about it. It's just… it's just…" Vy raised her other hand, taking it away from gripping the No Face May King to instead squeeze the lower part of Robin's tunic collar in a clear sign of nervousness. "Um. This is a little…"

Dangerous? Risky? Embarrassing? Robin wasn't sure. His heart pounding through his rib cage didn't help, even if he was a Heroic Spirit and no longer entirely human to remember all of the feelings. Lub-dub, lub-dub, the organ added.

Robin took one of his hands away to brush his fingers against Vy's cheek, putting on his best smile once she inevitably looked up at him again. "What is it, little sparrow?"

This is a bad situation, but the least I can do is be gentle.

Vy stared at him for a moment, the pink on her face transforming into a lovely red in the time it took for her to gather up whatever she was thinking. Then she ducked her head and bumped it against his shoulder again, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose with the motion. "…First kiss."

"Huh?" Wait, what did his little sparrow say?

"Y-You'll be the first one I'll ever be kissing, big Robin," Vy elaborated in a shaky breath, squinting her eyes shut past her glasses once his hand cupped her cheek. Her shoulders were still shaking through his Noble Phantasm as she let go of his tunic to cover her mouth with slender fingers. "S-So this is more embarrassing than anything else I've done right now."

"…"

This is really bad.

Robin was facing a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and for once, he didn't know what to do with it. Vy was always an affectionate girl, hugging Mash and her other Servants like they were her family, but there was always a hint that there was more to her actions. As if something dark had badly hurt her, so early on in her life, to where she couldn't appreciate herself or even recognize that someone loved her back in the same way she expressed herself. To know this fact — that no one had ever given her a proper kiss like the ones out of those fairy tales kids grew up on — had no one outside her loved ones given her affection? Had she been neglected?

"R-Robin?" Vy filled in quietly, once it became obvious nothing was leaving his mouth. The hand she was using to cover her mouth had already left, having gone back to grip his cloak again as she stared up at him. Just him.

Instead of replying, Robin could find himself doing nothing but leaning in and pressing a light kiss to his little sparrow's forehead. It earned him a rather adorable squeak, but he couldn't find the joy in himself to really enjoy it when remembering what got them into this mess to begin with. Still, his heart was pounding through his chest harder than ever before thanks to Vy's words, his words coming out almost on the edge of calm as a result. "…Little sparrow, if you say things like that, self-control might go and fly out the window. Just a reminder."

Vy blinked owlishly at him once he pulled back to make eye contact again. In spite of the tears in her big brown eyes past her glasses, it was obvious she didn't get it. If anything, she seemed more confused than anything else. "S-Self control?"

Robin couldn't help the wry smile that formed on his lips. Yep. This is my Master. An honest, innocent girl who should've had a better life together with Mash and Ayako in the outside world… "Never mind," he said outwardly, taking a deep breath before pressing his forehead to hers. "Are you positive about having me?"

Your first kiss should be with a living man who cherishes you. Someone who can keep cherishing you, for the rest of your days. Not with a rogue like me, who could fade out of your life without warning again.

Still, Vy smiled up at him like she always did, a small giggle leaving her lips. "Believe me, I-I wouldn't have gotten this far with you if I wasn't."

When I'm with you, things like this are a little less scary, Robin Hood could hear through their bond. It was as if she was responding to his earlier thought process. I want to help you.

This little sparrow of his. Even when unsure, scared, and anxious, she still thought about—

"…Okay. You still reserve the right to say no at any time, Master." Robin Hood could smell her conditioner now from the near lack of distance, note the sheen of the chapstick she had applied before coming to the Ooku. The faint scent of fruits, the shine of her small pink lips. "Even use a Command Spell if it's too much."

Vy shook her head again, the corners of her mouth wobbling in her smile as she said, "I-I'm okay. Just, um. N-Not 'Master.'"

"Huh?"

"I-If we're going to do this, please call me by my name, Robin. Not 'Master,' just… just 'Vy.' Because that's all I am, in the end." Vy shrugged her shoulders through the No Face May King, one set of her fingers digging into the front of his tunic. The blush on her face didn't seem like it wanted to disappear anytime soon. "I-If you use my name, it — it feels like it won't be as scary. Like we're home."

"…"

No thanks to the awkward silence that followed, Vy made a soft noise of embarrassment in the back of her throat, a strange combination of a gurgle and a squeal, as she ducked her head. "J-Just kissing, please? We still need to save everyone else from Chaldea after this."

Robin Hood knew by then he couldn't resist. There was no other maiden quite like the little sparrow in front of him, after all. "…You drive a hard bargain, Vy," he said finally. "Suggesting a mana transfer, just to say that?"

"I-Is it a bad thing? Being honest?"

"No, I'll take it."

I'll take you, really, his heart added. Even if it's for a moment like this…

Robin Hood tilted Vy's head up with his hand still on her cheek, leaning in a bit more. He could feel her breath on his mouth, and he knew she could feel his. Her breathing in particular stalled every other second, her brown eyes closing almost immediately as he got closer, her shoulders tensing. "Vy."

"A-Aye?" she whispered, barely audible.

"Relax. It's just me."

You'll be okay. We'll be okay. I could never hurt you. I'll make sure I won't.

Robin Hood gave her a few seconds to take the words in for calming herself before finally closing the distance between them.

Vy's lips were soft. Pliable, really. Smooth thanks to that chapstick and almost sweet. Robin Hood knew that a closed-mouth kiss wouldn't give him the mana he needed. After all, no fluids were being exchanged. Each passing minute was risking his Spirit Origin's retention in this Singularity. Still, in spite of his fading legs, he persisted, firmly yet gently pressing his mouth to Vy's once her hands on his tunic relaxed, her figure almost melting into him with the slow passage of time. For such a rare, kind girl like his little sparrow, the least he could do was make the kiss feel good and not something foreign.

Still, the first kiss was only for a few seconds, but when Robin pulled away, it felt like it had been a year. "That's just the start," he whispered to Vy's closed eyes, smiling once he noticed her shoulders tense again. "This is one of your last chances to back out, Vy."

Vy slowly opened her eyes, blinking slowly at him before her cheeks puffed outwards. "I-I said it was okay, alright?" she said slowly in a vague sense of protest, the hand in his tunic collar clenching a bit. "It… it just felt really soft. K-Kinda nice, really." She averted her eyes from his for a moment, puckering her lips awkwardly. Robin couldn't help but memorize the shape of them. "I-I wasn't expecting that…"

This is really bad, Robin thought again. Outwardly, he knew this was only business. They were still in enemy territory, after all. But with her pout and puckered lips, Vy looked so cute. How could a bowman like him resist? He still asked out of formality, "Do you want me to stop?"

Vy shook her head. "K-Keep going, Robin, please." Her gaze lingered on his still fading feet for a moment, worry in her figure even through his cloak covering the top of her head. "Besides, y-you're still hurt."

…I love this girl.

Robin exhaled a long, deep sigh once the thought had been thought'd, leaning in to press another kiss to Vy's forehead. "Just tell me when you want to stop, Vy," he whispered back, shaking his head. "If you won't, I'll get greedy." Unexpected green lights had to stay unexpected because otherwise, if he got ahead of himself, everyone outside would probably have his liver on a stake.

Still, the little sparrow in his arms didn't seem to notice his thought process, shaking her head. "Th-There's nothing wrong with being a little greedy every now and then, even if Kama gives too much and doesn't have the right idea," Vy replied in the same quiet tone, raising her head to look up at him. Even when standing on her tiptoes, she was still facing him honestly like the girl he first met when he had been summoned. "A-And since you're the one in dire straits right now, Robin, I think it's okay."

I'm screwed. Robin could already tell he was wrapped around Vy's little pinky finger, but a laugh still escaped him, disrupting the heating air. What kind of bowman was he, if he couldn't refuse the call of a girl like his sparrow? Past pick-ups didn't even compare now. "Be careful with those words, little sparrow. If you say those kinds of things to anyone else, you'll be eaten up like Little Red Riding Hood."

"E-Eaten—?"

Robin leaned in to cover Vy's mouth with his before she could respond. Thanks to the timing, he was able to savor this kiss better than the last one, pulling his little sparrow closer to him as she shivered. He wasn't sure when the closed-mouth kisses turned into something more, but by the time he could actually taste sugar on his tongue, his feet were regaining feeling again. By that point, he wasn't sure if it was the mana transfer starting to take effect or his own heart playing tricks on him. Still, chasing Vy's tongue was almost like playing cat and mouse, with her retreating every time he came close out of shyness, but her fingers were still tugging at his hair on the nape of his neck. From her lips shyly pressing back against his, he could tell she wasn't scared anymore. Once Robin was cradling the back of her head through his cloak, though, he could faintly register a soft high-pitched gasp in the small piece of common sense still left in his mind.

My little sparrow…

"R-Robin," Vy puffed mid-kiss against his mouth after a long moment, a hand still tugging at his tunic collar. "Nn… h-hey…"

A break, then. Robin felt his breathing falter once he pulled back to add some distance, looking into Vy's brown eyes as his thumb rubbed her cheekbone. The air was starting to feel sticky and sweet between them. "Did you…" Without thinking, he pecked her lips again, tasting her saliva a bit more before finishing with, "Eat something with Mash before coming here, Vy?"

"S-Sakura mochi," Vy said against his lips, red painting her cheeks as she clung to him, her grip on his tunic and hair loosening with the answer. She averted her eyes, some locks of her loose long hair falling down to hide one brown iris away from Robin's point of view as she did so. "We were going to have tea before everything with Kama happened…"

"I see," Robin said, gently bumping Vy's nose with his as he brushed the hair out of her face. His toes curled in his boots from anticipation as he asked, "Can I have more?"

"M-Muuu…" was Vy's only response. He could already guess from their bond that it was an embarrassed "Yes." Still, Robin waited for a verbal sign, and Vy fidgeted. "…Y-You could," she admitted after a second or two. "J-Just to a limit, okay? We still have to go back to everyone later. A-And you still need to recover your strength, mister."

"As my little sparrow wishes…" Robin couldn't help the sudden surge of glee running through his veins as he dove back in again, wrapping one arm around Vy's waist. This time, he could taste the sugar in more detail as he swallowed the surprised gasp his little sparrow let out, savoring the sensation as he deepened the kiss. With sweet sugar on his tongue, a faint fruity tanginess in the air that was definitely from Novum Chaldea's brand of conditioner, Robin Hood knew he was in too deep. It didn't help once Vy started shivering against him again, stuttering noises almost bordering moans faintly echoing in her throat as he continued the kiss.

Once, twice, thrice, more, more, more. Robin lost count of how many times their mouths piled together after he started regaining all feeling in his lower half.

Ah, fuck. He pulled back for a moment, taking in the breathless visage of his little sparrow, closed teary eyes and blush and all, before changing the angle and kissing her again to deepen their connection. I really do love her.

"Mm — R-Robin…"

With Vy calling out his True Name in that shaky high-pitch of hers from feeling everything he was doing, it felt like Robin could believe that he was something more than a nameless rogue again. Even if he couldn't remember his original name, when he was with his little sparrow, it felt alright to be called "Robin."

Even when her legs were shaking and her fingers were clenching his tunic enough for the fabric to wrinkle, Vy wasn't letting him go. And with his Spirit Origin solidifying again, Robin wasn't sure he could let her go either.

In the end, it took a faint noise in the background for Robin to regain his senses. He still couldn't help feeling the slightest bit regretful once he broke the kiss off for the last time because holy shit, he went too far, even if it was for regaining the strength Kama had taken away. Vy was looking up at him through tears in the corners of her eyes, her face a dark pink as her lips shined with wet residue. "R-Robin…" she said breathlessly.

"You okay, Vy?" Robin brushed a stray strand of hair off of Vy's forehead, leaning up to press what he hoped was an apologetic kiss to the skin there. "Did I overwhelm you?"

"I-I'm okay," she answered, her hands letting go of the front of his tunic to wind around his waist and squeeze him in a tight hug. "A-A little overwhelmed," was muttered into his shoulder, "but okay. Just, um. Big Robin?"

Robin raised a hand to rub the back of her head through the No Face May King, humming a lullaby under his breath as he returned the hug. Okay. They were okay. Vy was using his nickname again. "What is it, little sparrow?"

"D-Do… Do all kisses go like that?"

Robin took a deep breath, thinking on it before pushing Vy back a bit, pressing another kiss to her head. "Not always," he said honestly, putting on a smile. "But when it's with someone special, it's supposed to feel good."

None of the other village girls he courted once upon a time really had lips like Vy's that tasted so sweet. That is, if he had to admit it out loud.

Still, Vy blinked at him, her mouth opening and closing for a second before she lowered her head and bumped her forehead against his shoulder.

"Little sparrow?"

"…with you, it felt good."

Robin didn't even have the chance to process Vy's whisper before she was slowly slipping away, wrapping the No Face May King around herself like a blanket as she took a corner to hide her mouth. "A-Anyway, l-let's go. I… um. Uh. Yeah." Vy's voice grew more quiet by the second as she slowly approached the locked doors of the safe room. "C-Can we go? A-After everything with Kama's done, w-we can talk about this later."

I'm embarrassed and I feel like I'll kiss you again if we stay any longer.

Robin put a hand to his own mouth, feeling it throb for a moment from the thought surging through their mental connection before letting himself sigh, the Yew Bow materializing on his right forearm again. "Sure. Fight now, talk later. We can do that, little sparrow."

I love you too, he let himself think.

Even if he didn't get an answer through their bond, Robin still made sure to rest a hand on the small of Vy's back once she nearly stumbled over a crack in the tatami mats. He didn't need an answer just yet.

There was a goddess of love to punish first, anyways.

"Vy!" Ayako surprisingly was the first one at the doorway once Robin had pushed the sliding doors open, her green eyes shining with blatant concern as she raised her arms for her fellow Master. "You okay—"

Robin nearly felt his heart give out once he saw Vy collapse against Ayako's taller frame, her head barely being held up by Ayako's shoulder once the two Masters had settled in an impromptu hug against one another. Oh shit, did I—

"Senpai!" Mash called out worriedly over her hologram.

"Vy?!" Ayako said, mouth open as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Archer, what did you—"

"F-Fweeeeeeeeee…" echoed in the Ooku's hallways all of a sudden, making Ayako blink as Achilles and Dantes both held back what appeared to be laughter in the background. "R-Romance is a lot…" Vy let out in a slow whine. "A-Aya-san, how do you and the Count do it…?"

Ayako tensed, pink coloring her cheeks. "V-Vy… timing! Timing!"

"O-Oh," Mash said with a visible blush even through Chaldea's comms, her perplexed expression transforming into a warm smile. "Senpai…"

Arturia, meanwhile, giggled softly into one of her gauntlets, almost matching Kiara's looming wide grin. "So, romance is a new avenue for our Princess. This is interesting."

"Quite!" Kiara put in with a sing-song voice. "Oh, I wish I could've seen this back in my sea…"

"Kiara?" Mash said.

"Nothing, Mash~!"

Robin Hood couldn't stop the blush from climbing up his face as the Count of Monte Cristo shot him a knowing look out of the corner of his eye past Ayako's shoulder as he walked forward to reach the two Masters. "Well, little flower," Dantes filled in for Ayako's sake, almost pleasantly too towards Vy, "all it takes is communication and a ring for us. Perhaps it could work for you and your rogue Archer."

"Oh…" was the initial response. Then, Vy stiffened as Tsubone in Parvati's body gasped. "W-Wait, Aya-san, you're married?" Vy said in a higher pitch from her perch on Ayako's shoulder. "Um. Congrats? Why didn't you tell me?"

Ayako's face was starting to resemble a bright apple at this point, contrasting how she had already wrapped her arms around Vy's smaller figure to lift her up to a standing position. "Thanks, Vy, but Count. Wh-When did this happen?!"

"Before we came to the Ooku," Dantes said flatly, wrapping one possessive arm around Ayako's frame while using his other arm to pat Vy's head. "Or was I assuming again?"

"I-If I had known this, I would've told Da Vinci to put on a festival for you, Ayako!" Mash said heatedly. "Should I start making the plans?"

"NO!"

The heat was starting to die down as Achilles, Arturia, and Robin Hood all exchanged looks.

"I don't know how Kiyohime would take that…" Mata Hari interjected worriedly.

"Someone may die and I don't want to see that," Scheherazade bemoaned quietly in her corner.

Vy still let out a tired noise before hugging Ayako again, making Ayako splutter even more as Robin Hood watched with a smile on his face. "No one die, please…" Vy said mid-groan, almost hanging off of Ayako like a baby koala would their mother. "L-Let's just go…? I-I wanna see Kama to give her a piece of my mind."

"Maybe we should get you some water first, Princess. Mana Transfers do take a lot," Achilles teased, punching Robin Hood's arm. "Or did you not do that with our Archer lad?"

"N-No comment!"

Robin Hood withheld the urge to groan aloud, because he could've sworn that someone laughed again at that point. But hey. They still had things to figure out in the future, and if they were all together again, he could have some hope too. Right?

Author's Notes: Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go bury myself in blankets and sleep. Or study. This is the longest thing I've written for Passing Days, and it's all because of simping for a May King. Take that however you'd like.

This is Vy, signing out. I'll see you all later.